Circle the wagons - it could be a tough winter

HOLDEN — They're only an informal group at the moment, but nearly a dozen folks from all walks of government — and elsewhere — are gearing up to help Holden folks with what many predict will be a hard winter, and not just when it comes to heat.

Representatives from the select board, Town Manager's Office, Senior Center, Wachusett Food Pantry, the Chamber of Commerce, Hearts for Heat, local churches, Worcester Community Action Council, and the town Light Department met this week to begin the task of disseminating the information they've gathered about where to send residents for help if heating costs continue to rise — or even if they stay the same and the winter is a cold one.

Charbonneau, who is keyed in to the needs of a population sometimes living on a limited fixed income, can see the crisis looming for many.

"What I think we're going to see is seniors choosing between heating their houses and putting food on the table; we're going to see seniors choosing between heating their houses and paying for medication," Charbonneau said. "None of this is good news."

Karen Halley at the Wachusett Food Pantry said the crunch is already showing up there, for everyone; the pantry has seen an ever-increasing volume of folks lining up for food, and a large part of that gain is due to seniors.

But this year's money crunch isn't expected to just hit seniors.

"There are poor people in Holden," Charbonneau said.

Halley sees those families at the food pantry's monthly distribution, too. Their crunch usually hits in the fall, when the weather gets cold. The pantry saw a surge to 140 families, including both seniors and non-senior families in October last year; this year, the number in August is already approaching that, with 125 families served.

Then there are also those who aren't poor — but who may be on the edge of finding their household expenses unaffordable. Another cost crisis would put them over that edge.

Oil and gas prices rising have pushed up the cost of food as well, for everyone. It's already affected the food that's available to the Wachusett Food Pantry, which receives some of its stock from the Worcester Food Pantry. Food available is sometimes purchased with donated funds; those funds, for the food pantries as for citizens, are just not going as far as they used to.

Any stress on one area of the budget affects all areas of the budget for most families.

"It's all one pie when people have to make these choices," Rev. Richard Simpson of St. Francis Episcopal Church said.

Churches are among the organizations likely to be approached by those in need, partly because it's the church's mission, Simpson said, to respond to people in need. But few churches are set up to provide the kind of financial help residents might need in tough times, and that's why coordinating the response with municipal and social groups in town seems to make so much sense, he says.

Enter the as-yet-unnamed working group, organized by Town Manager Brian Bullock.

Bullock said the impetus for getting the group going was just the usual getting ready for winter that he does as town manager and Light Department manager that set him thinking about how to aid folks who might be having a hard time this winter.

"I think it's just something we should be doing," he said of the group effort that coalesced to get scattered resources together so residents have one place to go to get information.

"The point is, there's not one focal point where people can go to get information," Bullock says. He hopes this group will be that place.

In some cases the group will be able to give solid help, like sending folks to the food pantry or helping to provide information about how to heat their home safely, or even helping homeowners get a discounted rate on their fuel.

There are some resources already in place in town, like the Welcome Aldrich Fund, which can help folks with their energy bills. That fund is made up of donations from Holden residents, and last year's effort to raise funds for it brought out the generosity in Holden residents.

Charbonneau emphasizes that, though the fund is administered by the Council on Aging (the local government's only social-service arm set up to do that kind of thing), the Welcome Aldrich Fund isn't just for seniors.

Nor is fuel assistance, which the Senior Center is now helping to administer. Charbonneau says that anyone in Holden who finds themselves in need of help for either should call the Senior Center. Even though this season's initial fuel assistance intake date has passed, if the town gets even 10 families that sign up for applications, Worcester Community Action Council, which administers state and federal funds for fuel assistance, will come out to town to take applications.

WCAC, the Senior Center, the Welcome Aldrich Fund are among the resources the new coalition will recommend to folks in need.

The group acknowledges that help is not just needed for heat or food; they're focusing on five areas where the current crunches are being felt: in addition to heat and food, help or referrals can be given in the event of credit crunches or foreclosures as well as in energy conservation and something that's high on Fire Chief Jack Chandler's list, safety.

Chandler's seen his share of dire calls when people's efforts to keep warm and still pay all the bills take unfamiliar turns.

"From a Fire Department standpoint, we're very concerned about people trying to use alternative heating sources to save energy," Chandler says.

Charbonneau has one of those images in her mind that comes straight out of Chandler's nightmares: it's a space heater sitting on a pile of newspapers. Some simple rules about what to do — and what not to do — when using alternative heating sources could be crucial.

Holden Chamber of Commerce President Jen Stanovich is also part of the group, because the help of local businesses can also be crucial. They'll be fundraising as well as helping negotiate financial help in the coming weeks.

As the heating season closes in and the weather cools, the coalition of helpful forces hopes to have the information they've garnered, as well as regular updates, posted on a link through the town's Web site, on its own Web site and in a mailing to residents.